


Shanshu Summer

by wisdomeagle



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Between Seasons/Series, Community: buffyverse1000, Drinking & Talking, Hope, Multi, and they all lived happily ever after the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-16
Updated: 2004-12-16
Packaged: 2018-04-17 21:23:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4681946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisdomeagle/pseuds/wisdomeagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, anything was possible. (Between Seasons 1 and 2.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shanshu Summer

It was one of the hottest summers LA had ever known, but to Wesley it felt like springtime. For the first time, they all felt hope. If he was still a bit uncertain about the translation, he hid it underneath a quip and a smile, because Angel was fighting, harder than Wesley had ever seen him fight, harder even then he'd fought for Buffy.

He remarked on the change to Cordelia, who'd nodded and said, "Sure. He's way over Buffy now. This whole Shanshu thing is way more important to him, because it means he gets _us_."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't be silly," she'd responded. "Angel isn't just fighting for redemption anymore. He's fighting for you and me, Wesley. Don't you see that? He loves us."

Wesley tried not to think too hard about what that meant; Cordelia was thoughtless and said things not entirely true. She didn't know what Angel's love might mean to him, and it didn't matter, so long as Angel was fighting.

One night in July, after he and Angel had utterly destroyed a nest of vampires that had been terrorizing an otherwise pleasantly hospitable neighborhood, Cordelia summoned them back to her apartment for a surprise.

"Wonder what she's got in store," Angel said.

"She's Cordelia. Whatever it is, it will be sure to be thoughtful..."

"At least she'll think it is," Angel concluded. "This is going to be one of those times when we have to pretend to be grateful, isn't it?"

"Be fair, Angel. She did make us dinner that one time."

"You didn't have to drink that horrific concoction she claimed was a mocha-blood-latte."

"True, but the wine she got was most excellent."

"Dulled the tastebuds?"

"Angel, that's unfair."

"True, though."

Wesley sighed and knocked on Cordelia's door. They heard her call, "Dennis, would you watch the pot?" before she flung the door open and kissed them both on their cheeks, smile filling her face and so bright it almost made Wesley need to squint. "Hey guys? Vamps all food for the Dustbuster?"

Wesley nodded; Angel was trying to figure out if he could get into the apartment without giving Cordelia a hug and found that he could not. Cordelia forced a hug on Wesley, too, then seemed to be waiting for something, and Wesley realized with a cringe that it was for him and Angel to hug. They did so, awkwardly, arms bumping and elbows twisted and Wesley painfully aware that just a few inches separated them from a kiss.

When they disentangled themselves, Wesley felt compelled to ask Cordelia if she was all right.

"Fine, just dandy. No visions yet today, but I'm still hoping I can send you guys out after dinner for some off-hours slayage. And Dennis is helping me make dinner, and I got the _best_ wine. Two bottles, and I haven't finished off the first one yet, so you guys can help yourselves. Angel, there's blood in the fridge."

"Just a second now," said Wesley, already feeling like he was drunk even though he hadn't yet had a single glass of wine.

"I thought we'd play a game," said Cordelia. "And I thought you'd want to be drunk to play it. If you don't, your loss.

"Er, a game?" Angel said, as if he were just now realizing that something was amiss.

"Sure, a game. But dinner first, and then game for dessert."

"Cordelia, a word?"

Wesley took Cordelia aside and murmured, "Cordelia, this isn't the kind of game that might well end in Angel losing his soul, is it?

Cordelia laughed. "Of course not, Wesley! Why would you think that? God, pervy Englishmen." She then turned back to Angel, who was still looking confused. "Dinner?"

~~~  
Cordelia's game turned out to be What Shall We Do Once Angel's Shanshued? and she let Angel have the first go. To Wesley's surprise, he didn't mention Buffy, just got a suddenly wistful look on his face and said, "Ice cream. I'd eat lots of ice cream."

"Gawd, Angel, you're pathetic," said Cordelia. "It'll be the first day in like, hundreds of years that you're human, and you're going to _eat_? To like, celebrate the fact that you can gain weight and are now a potential Jenny Craig spokesperson?"

"Actually, vampires can gain weight, just not as fast as humans can," Wesley muttered, sloshing his wine. "If Angel were to become human, I think I would take him to England, show him my family's estate. I think he would enjoy the orchard."

"You guys," said Cordelia, struggling to find the words, "are such dweebs. C'mon! Human Angel! No more curse, no more darkness, no more brooding, no more redemption. Wouldn't you want to do something a little bit sexier than taking a nature walk?"

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, what _I_ would do if Angel Shansued," Cordelia paused to draw a breath, "is I'd give him a huge, full-on French kiss, and then I'd get Wesley on the phone pronto so Angel could teach him how to kiss better, and then we'd all, you know –"

"We'd all make love," said Wesley, whispering, his eyes not meeting Angel's.

"It'd be nice," said Angel. "Really nice. I'll put it on the to-do list."

They sat in silence for a minute, Wesley not daring to meet the others' eyes. Then Cordelia's phone rang. "Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. Cordelia Chase speaking... uh huh...and how long has that been going on? Okay, great!" She hung up the phone and grinned. "Well, if we want Angel ever to earn his Shanshu, you guys had better get to work!"


End file.
